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THE ESCAPE-THE RETURN 



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CHINESE TIGER- 



Wm. M. UPCRAFT 



AMERICAN 
riST PUBLICATION 
SOCIETY 




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H. J. OfekShaw. Wm. M. Upcraft. 

Frontispiece. 




Vachow 

an<J 

Burma 

Th^ Escape 
♦♦♦♦♦ 

Th^ Return 



Rev. Wm. M. UPCRAFT 






PHILADELPHIA 
AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

1S96 



Copyright 1896 by the 
American Baptist Publication Society 



xst 



PREFATORY NOTE 

/*C 

Sze-Chuen is the westernmost province of China, bor- 
dering on Tibet. The American Baptist mission in this 
province was opened by Rev. Wm. M. Upcraft, who had 
traveled extensively through Central China distributing the 
word of God. He encountered in this work many dangers — 
once, like Paul, being stoned and left for dead outside the 
city walls. The mission was begun in 1889, with the sta- 
tion at Sui fu. Kiating and Yachow were opened later. 

In 1893 Mr. Upcraft visited many churches in this 
country and secured reinforcements for the West China 
mission. Just following the Japanese-Chinese war, and 
possibly in some remote way connected with that war, up- 
risings against foreigners began in various parts of China in 
the early summer of 1895. At Kucheng, a number of mis- 
sionaries, eight or more, were killed. The missionaries 
were not hated on account of their religion, but simply as 
foreigners. The literati and official classes stirred up the 
credulous mob. Our missionaries were all driven out of 
West China. Some came East, but Mr. Upcraft and Mr. 
Openshaw abode still on the eastern edge of Sze-Chuen, 
and after a visit to the mission, made their way through 
Tonkin and around by sea to Burma. They have since 
left Burma, and by the time this book comes into the read- 
ers* hands, they will doubtless be back again in West 
China and once more at work. 

Frank S. Dobbins. 

May, 1896. 



Of our experiences in Burma these notes furnish a mea- 
ger and unsatisfactory outline, but such as they are, we offer 
to our friends in the hope that some interest may be af- 
forded to the work of which we have had so unique and 
happy experience for the past two months. 

China is again in sight, the field in which our common 
interest is centered ; to the work there we return strengthened 
by the love and counsel of the brethren here, and stimu- 
lated by contact with their work. 

Yours in labor and hope, 

W. M. Upcraft, 
H. J. Openshaw. 

Bhamo, Upper Burma, February, 1896. 



PART I 



YACHOW-THE ESCAPE 




\ 



YACHOW AND BURMA 



YACHOW— THE ESCAPE 

TN June, 1894, a raft pushed out from the " west water 
-*■ gate" of Kiating, bearing as passengers Upcraft 
and Openshaw, forerunners of the coming workers for 
the King in Yachow. 

The intervening year had been a time of blessing and 
expansion — a year indeed to be marked with capital 
letters in our experience, first, last, and all through. 
During this time also, you have learned at home to re- 
peat the name and pray for the new station at Yachow, 
as month after month brought fresh leading and new 
development. So it continued to be with us till less 
than a month since — our hold upon the people and 
favor with them being unquestioned. A light, the light 
that shone where hope was born, lay along the path 
ahead. 

And then the change came. Suddenly as the tem- 
pest sweeps over a summer sky, ill-timed as death at the 
festal board, it seemed to us, came the turn that drove 
us from our homes and made us wanderers and refugees 
in the land where we were wont to be styled ' ' teachers ' ' 
and "instructors." Now life is one large interrogation 
point : Why ? 

The details of all the rioting and trouble will have 

7 



8 YACHOW AND BURMA 

been learned before this reaches you j I shall therefore 
only attempt a connected story of the Sze-Chuen riots, 
so far as was known to us, mainly as they concern the 
interests of the Missionary Union. 

The trouble commenced at the center of civil, military, 
and literary power — Chentu — the provincial capital, an 
enormous city lying in a vast fertile plain, at the heart 
of the great province. Expanding mission effort in Sze- 
Chuen has touched especially the work at Chentu, and 
the past few years have seen a remarkable increase both 
in agents and agencies for all phases of Christian work 
at that center. Medical, evangelistic, and educational 
enterprises, together with the special lines of women's 
work, have been vigorously pushed by three great so- 
cieties, and all seemed to promise well for the future. 

True, there had been ugly rumors afloat for some 
time previous to the actual outbreak — rumors of the 
old kind, of baby-killing and eating, of malpractices in 
medical work, and other slanderous reports. All this 
indicated a spirit of hostility, latent no doubt, but still 
there ; yet no alarm was felt, no danger apprehended. 
Whatever may be true of other fields, the missionary in 
China finds himself the object of constant suspicion 
and ill report ; thus a little more or less of that is not 
liable to disturb him. The gathering of the people on 
any public occasion is always a favorable opportunity 
for the display of this chronic ill-feeling ; numbers seem 
to lend courage in such a case, so that when, on May 
29th, the feast of the fifth moon brought out all the 
loafers and rowdies, excited with wine and play, it was 
a foregone conclusion that they would attempt any mis- 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 9 

chief that might appeal to them and none more readily 
than trouble with the foreigners. 

It was toward evening of that day that the first symp- 
toms of coming trouble occurred. A mob attacked the 
front gates of the Canadian Mission and finally burst 
their way into the courtyard. Here they were met 
by two determined Anglo-Saxons, whose courage was 
strengthened by the knowledge that behind them were 
wives and children likely to become the sport of the 
rioters unless the latter could be frightened away. 
Hastily sending off messengers to the yamen asking aid 
from the mandarins, these two men kept the mob off 
for three mortal hours and then in the darkness had to 
take women and children and run for it. But where to 
run ! Outside the back gate of their premises there 
was a near cut to the city wall, and under cover of dark- 
ness they escaped to it, while the rioters poured in at 
the front gate, looted the premises, and finally burned 
all they could not carry off. Midnight brought a res- 
pite and the mob went home to rest while the fugitives 
found shelter in another mission house as yet untouched. 

The next morning the work was renewed. Place after 
place fell, the missionaries being driven from point to 
point till a temporary shelter was found in the magis- 
trate's house, and even there the crowd pursued them. 
So the story goes, too long to be fully told here, too 
wide -reaching to be ever told perfectly. The genius of 
the rioters led them to do the most extraordinary things 
in order to delude and inflame the people. Fifty years 
ago a French Catholic priest was beheaded in Chentu, 
and the remains were buried beneath the Cathedral. 



IO YACHOW AND BURMA 

To-day his bones were exhumed and paraded before 
the populace as evidence that foreigners kill and eat 
people. Evidence undeniable ! Chickens were killed 
and their blood spattered around on the walls and tables 
of the dispensary as ocular demonstration of the charge 
that missionaries abuse their medical skill in destroying 
infants for evil purposes. What wonder then that the 
people should burn the odious houses where such evil 
was perpetrated ! It was thus the malign influences of 
the Western barbarians were banished from Chentu, and 
those who did it grew in both riches and reputation. 

Had the fury burned itself out here, the other half 
of the story would not need the telling; but it is in the 
nature of evil to propagate itself and this instance was no 
exception to the law. Scattering themselves in bands, 
the ringleaders of the riot carried the fire into other 
communities, large and small, till it seemed that a reign 
of terror had been inaugurated throughout the entire 
province. 

Kiating never seemed more peaceful than the day 
on which the news arrived there. The workers of our 
Western China Mission were planning for enlarged work 
and there were prospects of blessing. At this time the 
city was full of students for the triennial examination, a 
critical season in our work always. The effect of the 
reports soon made itself felt and in a few days all the 
mission premises were looted and the missionaries were 
either in the yamen or fleeing down the river. Our 
friends got away safely, leaving behind their home and 
work to the mercy of the rioters, who appeared to have 
made a clean sweep of things in general. 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE II 

Sui fu was soon in an uproar, and though the local 
authorities did their best to allay the excitement, the 
force was too strong for them, and here again our 
workers were compelled to flee in order to avoid a worse 
fate, leaving all in care of the officials, who promised to 
do their utmost to preserve the premises from violence. 
By latest reports we learn that the houses were not de- 
stroyed, though some damage was done and some things 
were carried off. Just how much this means we cannot 
now determine and must wait till it is possible to return 
and make up reports later. Kiating and Sui fu, the two 
older stations of the mission, are thus accounted for in 
this narrative. 

But what of Yachow, the newest and remotest of the 
places occupied ? For several weeks prior to the occur- 
rence at Chentu matters had been shaping themselves 
into permanent form. The ladies, Mrs. Hill and Miss 
Bliss, were on the ground and were just beginning their 
work for the Chinese women ; a new chapel for preach- 
ing was about completed and everything was bright and 
promising. The first baptism in the upper waters of 
the Ya had taken place, the first communion in Chinese, 
the first Christian marriage, and the first Christian home 
had been established ; indeed, the beginning of things 
generally had passed, and the outlook was most hope- 
ful. Such was the aspect of things on Sunday morn- 
ing, June 2nd, in Yachow. Just after breakfast that 
morning, a friendly official, who has been of help to us 
often, called in to apprise us of the news that had just 
arrived from Chentu, of the disorder and rioting against 
the missionaries, and the fear that the trouble might 



12 YACHOW AND BURMA 

come to us. It was disquieting news and an ill prepa- 
ration for the little morning service ; but still everything 
seemed so peaceful with us that we could hardly credit 
news so full of foreboding. In the course of the after- 
noon the report was confirmed and we ourselves were 
asked to keep quiet about it. We held a solemn yet 
confident prayer meeting that evening, thanking God 
for having brought us to Yachow and anew placing our- 
selves and the little work in his Almighty hands. 

On Monday the Chentu affairs were the talk of the 
streets, the tea shops, and yamens, but every one as- 
sured us that no danger was to be expected in Yachow. 
Our friends came in to see us and we were reassured. 
News also came up from Kiating that matters were quiet 
there and no present need for alarm. Tuesday and 
Wednesday passed with varying experience. Now the 
reports were assuring, and again we were disturbed by 
threats and had to face the question of our position and 
responsibility. The ladies had no wish to leave, indeed 
were strong in their desire to stay, or at least to stay as 
long as any one could do so, and if we must go, that 
all should go together. Thus matters stood on the after- 
noon of June 6th, the question still undecided, when 
the officials called upon us again, and it was plain to be 
seen that they feared the worst might happen. It was 
after this that we decided to leave, and set about se- 
curing a few articles which, together with the silver, we 
felt we should need on the road. A raft was hired and 
preparations were completed for leaving next morning, 
none dreaming but we should have ample time to do 
this before anything would be attempted against us. 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE I 3 

It was the night of the full moon, the sky being clear, 
and the whole blue arch unflecked by a cloud. The 
daylight seemed to continue later than usual, and curi- 
ous, expectant groups of men hung around the door. 
Our every movement was watched, while in looks and 
manner we seemed to read the deeper intent of the 
heart. All acted toward us as if something unusual was 
expected to happen to us. 

As the evening wore away, when usually no one 
would be about us, knots of men gathered in front of 
our door and time augmented rather than diminished 
the number. They tried to get in by the door but were 
foiled, and presently began yelling and hooting. The 
moment had come for action, and found us but partly 
ready. Mr. Hill took up Chester (his baby boy), Mrs. 
Hill and the rest of us had each a parcel of silver, and 
we beat a silent retreat to the farther side of the prem- 
ises, where already ladders had been prepared, that we 
might get over the boundary wall into the next garden, 
and thence into the Taotai's yamen (the chief official 
residence), which had been decided upon as the com- 
mon rendezvous in case of emergency. As we stood 
there listening, fearing, waiting for the entrance of the 
mob as the signal for our final move, a noise of a 
different kind attracted our ears, and presently Tzmei, 
our devoted young helper, came running in, with relief 
sounding in his very tones as he said, "The officials 
have come, the officials have come ' ' ; and sure enough, 
as some of us went out into the lane to look, there were 
the official lanterns, burning as fiercely as Chinese 
candles can burn, so placed as to form a barrier across 



14 YACHOW AND BURMA 

the mouth of the lane leading to our house, and the 
officials themselves driving back the people, expostu- 
lating with them, shouting their orders to disperse and 
not break into the place. It was a glad message to 
take to the waiting women in that little Chinese house 
— that help had come and we need not resort to ex- 
tremities. Such an experience, such a crisis, drives out 
all distinctions and compresses into enduring oneness 
the varying units of earth's scattered family. Two 
American and two Chinese woman were in the little 
room that served as bedroom in Tzmei's house, the 
presence of each being a help to the others, till in sorrow 
the parting words were uttered that separated them, ere 
the work had scarce begun. 

"At the fourth watch they are going to attack the 
house/ ' was the challenge that met us, a challenge to 
faith and patience, as we sat out the slow-drawn night 
watches, not very confident as to the issue. The third 
watch had sounded along the streets, and everything 
seemed quietness itself, when anticipating the rioters in 
any move they might be planning to make, the city offi- 
cials, with soldiers, policemen, and a great retinue of 
coolies, came to escort us to the raft and so away from 
Yachow. It was hard to leave the home just formed, 
the work but just begun, and that one young disciple — 
Tzmei — to go out, not knowing when again we might 
see the place ; but it was our present duty. The sol- 
diers with lanterns, spears, tridents, and other old world 
war-furnishings, fell into step behind us, as we paced the 
deserted streets. Down our street we went, and were 
just turning off for the big north gate, Openshaw and I 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 



15 



walking side by side, he armed with a repeating rifle 
and I with a hurricane lantern, when just where the 
shadow of house-eaves fell upon the street, staining the 
moonlight, we saw two clinging forms, and knew the 
voices that called out timidly "Good-bye, teacher." 
They were those of the same two Chinese women, 
come out to see the last of the fugitives being es- 
corted from their chosen work and abode. 




The first faint flush of coming dawn suffused the 
eastern sky as the raft was pushed out from the shore, 
leaving behind the clamorous police and coolies, who 
would have taken our last penny in return for alleged 
services and help rendered, so true is it that a man's 
extremity is a Chinaman's opportunity. 

Escorted by a small official and some thirty soldiers 
we began the down-trip with mingled feelings of joy 
and uncertainty. The river never looked prettier, nor 



1 6 YACHOW AND BURMA 

the rapids more exhilarating ; even our circumstances 
could not wholly rob us of the pleasure of such a ride. 
The raft with its swan-like motion, the clear sparkling 
stream set in the mountain freshness would have been 
full of delight, if only our relations with the people had 
corresponded with our touch and sympathy with nature. 
Our serenity however received a rude shock on arriving 
at Hung Ya, the first county seat below Yachow. Stop- 
ping to ' ' relieve guard " by a change of escort and 
report our arrival to the mandarin, we learned the dis- 
quieting news that a riot had taken place here the 
previous day, during which the Roman Catholic hall 
had been destroyed, the native Christians' houses 
looted, and terror spread among all those who were 
known to belong to the Way. A modern version this 
of a New Testament incident. It was soon noised 
abroad on the streets that a contingent of refugees from 
Ya had arrived, the effect being to draw out an ever- 
increasing crowd of scornful, menacing onlookers, ready 
for mischief at the first opening. 

After waiting for some time, during which our pass- 
port was copied, we announced our intention of pulling 
out without an escort, deeming our alleged protectors 
to be our most serious danger. 

"No, no, don't go yet, wait for the soldiers," was 
the reply we were prepared to receive, but after some 
persuasion our captain poled his raft out into deep 
water, the stream caught her, and soon we were speed- 
ing down the river. From this point our flight was a 
race. We determined to shake off our escort and avoid 
all stoppage at towns along the route. Chinese soldiers 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE I 7 

and escorts generally are excellent things for show and 
parade, but are likely to be the first assailants in case 
of a row, where plunder is the probable result — hence 
our anxiety to be rid of them. For the next fifteen 
miles we had a quiet run till we reached the customs 
barrier at Kia-Kiang, where it is usual to leave our 
Chinese card with the official as an evidence of our 
good faith, and to enable the raftsman to pass free of 
duty. 

All was well in this respect. We had satisfied the 
customs clerk and were just about to pull out, when a 
small boat dashed up, and a man sprang ashore, com- 
manded us to stop, enforcing his demands by seizing 
our bow oar and carrying it ashore. This was a dec- 
laration of war, and needed prompt action. Open- 
shaw jumped ashore and threw the oar back on the 
raft, when the man assailed him, threatening to strike. 
Upon seeing this I also jumped ashore and landed a 
convincing slap under the intruder's right ear, by which 
he lost his balance and fell over into the water. Brad- 
shaw pushed the raft off and all the rest seized poles to 
get the old craft out into the current and away from the 
shore and crowd as quickly as possible. Seizing the rope 
by which the raft had been moored they attempted to 
haul us into shore again without avail, and soon we 
were beyond the reach of danger from stones, though 
not so far away but we could hear with painful distinct- 
ness the cursing and threats hurled after us by the 
defeated and exasperated crowd at the landing. 

Failing to frighten us, our raft captain was threatened 
and ordered to take the raft into shore, and had there 

B 



1 8 YACHOW AND BURMA 

been but one foreigner instead of four of us, the attack 
at Kia-Kiang would have had a different ending. 
Cowering in sullen fright, our crew were the most 
abject of mortals, and not till we were so far away that 
recognition was impossible would they consent to work 
the raft. Why ? Because of the tender mercies of 
Chinese officialdom ! Had they aided us to escape, the 
cruelty of a Chinese yamen would have been meted 
out to them with an unstinted hand ; but we took the 
responsibility along with the danger ! 

That night we moored in a lonely spot, just above a 
long, shallow rapid, the three fellows of us making a bed 
among the pebbles on the shore, the others occupying 
the raft, till a thunder shower broke over us in the 
middle of the night and drove us all beneath the shelter 
of the raft matting. 

Early next morning we were under way, anxious 
about Kiating and possible complications there. We 
had sent on a man who was to travel during the night, 
and find out how matters stood, then meet us at the 
customs station above the city and report to us. 

< ' Pull down the matting and hide all signs of our 
being foreigners, ' ' was the order of the day as we drew 
up at the well-known landing, where happily it was too 
early for many people to be around. With a white face 
and a deprecating air Lao Yie came hurrying aboard, 
saying in an excited whisper, " Don't stop here, they 
are against you now. Every foreign house is destroyed 
and the people are fierce" — and we pulled out again 
smartly. Hiding all beneath the mat cover we urged 
the men to row fast past the city. As we came oppo- 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 1 9 

site the house where, less than a year before, we left 
our friends in such happy circumstances, we eagerly 
looked to see the home of the Vikings and their work. 
A little lower down, the river sweeps in close under the 
city wall, and here we saw a crowd of well-dressed men, 
evidently waiting, and when the raft came opposite, we 
were hailed and ordered to stop ; but, thank God, the 
men proved true and stanch, pulling steadily and 
strongly till the raft swung out from the mouth of the 
Ya river into the larger stream of the Min, and Kiating 
lay behind us. 

The question of a boat in which to continue the 
journey down the river was one that occupied us, the 
main object being to avoid delay. Happily, in God's 
good providence for us, a relative of our present rafts- 
man came along with a small boat, nearly empty, a 
bargain was struck, and in about half an hour we were 
again en route. This time Sui fu was the objective 
point, our ignorance of its present condition being as 
profound as was previously the case in respect to Kia- 
ting. 

Passing a market town — Ma-liu-tsang — in the late 
afternoon, our attention was called to a crowd of men 
in front of the Roman Catholic hall, which here stands 
facing the river bank. \ riot was in progress, and as 
we passed we saw men carrying off the household 
goods — a mirror especially, catching the rays of the de- 
clining sun, gave back a tell-tale gleam. About eight 
o'clock we pulled up at Ni Chi, in order to get pro- 
visions and firewood, and sent Lao Yie ashore to recon- 
noitre and report, with the result that we soon got our 



20 



YACHOW AND BURMA 



men aboard and pulled out into the moonlit stream, 
with as little display as possible, there being ' ' several 
tens ' ' of men in the village on their way from Kiating, 
to arouse the citizens of Sui fu against the foreigners. 

There was not 
much rest for us 
again that night. 
The boatman 
snatched a brief 
hour' s respite and 
renewed the jour- 
ney, so that we 
were within sight 
of Sui fu by seven 
o'clock on Sun- 
day morning, 
June 9th. Here 
we had no scout 
ahead, but our un- 
certainty was soon 
dissipated by the 
kind advice vol- 

ONE OF THE FIRST CONVERTS AT SUI FU UnteCred by 3, 

boatman bound 
up river. Seeing we were foreigners, evidently bound 
for the north gate landing, he called out to us, ' ' Don' t 
go in there, they don't love you any more. Get past 
the city," — advice we followed with as much celerity as 
possible. The boatman here proved a little refractory 
and demanded to stop at the east gate, saying he was 
engaged to go to Sui fu and would not go farther, 





H 
X 
H 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 21 

though we offered him extra cash to go a little way be- 
low the city where we might find another boat and get 
away expeditiously. Finding he would not go, we again 
assumed command for a little and so rowed past the 
city without attracting attention. 

Less than a mile below we tied up to look around 
and determine what next could be done. This was the 
home of the Hills' cook, who seemed so anxious to get 
ashore we feared he meant to desert us, an injustice to 
the boy, as we soon learned. After a brief survey he, 
Lao Wang, came back and reported that there was a 
boat moored across the river that looked as if it might 
suit us. Going over we found Mr. and Mrs. Faers and 
children, of the China Inland Mission, who had been 
driven from Sui fu and were anxious to go down the 
river, but had some trouble with their boatman. Again 
provision for our need by a loving Father's hand was 
apparent, and we joined forces with the Faers gladly, a 
relief to both them and ourselves. There were three 
small rooms on the boat. The hinder one was taken 
by our ladies (Mrs. Hill and Miss Bliss) and Master 
Chester Hill, the Faers family camped out in the 
middle room, while the rest of us, Hill, Bradshaw, 
Openshaw, and I, took the front stateroom — dining 
saloon, social hall, and playground by day, its uses by 
night being divided into guard room and sleeping apart- 
ment. Some objection was urged by the boatman 
against an immediate start, but our company had so 
much increased, we felt able to carry out our own orders 
if necessary, so we insisted on prompt measures and 
were soon on the way to Chungking. 



22 



YACHOW AND BURMA 



How strange it all seemed, Kiating and Sui fu both 
threatened and deserted — all our work involved in this 
one fell sweep ! It was disheartening and provocative of 

the feelings that 
express them- 
selves in stinging 
words ; but there 
was little time for 
reflection, a con- 
stant watch being 
necessary, lest 
some careless 
step on the boat- 
man' s part bring 
us into collision 
with the shore 
people, who now 
seemed to be our 
enemies. As the 
undermann ed 
boat came slowly 
down the river 
reach above Li 
Chuang, one of 
the roughest spots 
on the river, the 
boat drew suspic- 
iously near the lake shore, and in spite of repeated warn- 
ings not to land we steadily drew nearer till the boat- 
man threw off disguise and said he must stop to get 
more men before he could possibly go on. 




MR. AND MRS. MILLWOOD, OF SUI FU. 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 23 

Meanwhile the keen vision of watchers on the shore 
had spotted us as we passed the town, and now seeing 
the boat drawing in to shore, the word was passed 
along and a crowd started along the bank to overtake 
and possess the boat in hope of plunder — a hope that 
came so near realization we feared at one moment that 
all was lost. Seizing the bamboo poles, and calling on 
the boatman to head her out for the center of the river, 
we labored at the old boat, and got her midstream and 
so clear of danger from the shore, when our attention 
was called to a boat load of men bearing down upon us. 
' ' They are only going down river and intend to cross 
our bows ' ' said one ; but we were soon convinced of 
their real intention. As they came bow on directly for 
us, the foremost boatman seized a garment that hung at 
the side of our craft and attempted to board us, but 
seeing that we were too many for them at that point, 
the leader ordered the boat to drop astern of us, and 
board us there. ' i Take the rifle and stand them off, 
Openshaw ; don't let them get aboard anyhow," was 
shouted, and well the direction was obeyed. Brad- 
shaw was already at the stern, and soon a cry arose, 
"They are destroying the rudder," thus attempting to 
board the boat and render her helpless at the same 
time. Seeing the condition of affairs, the rapidly aug- 
menting shore crowd seized another boat and put off a 
second load to aid the one attacking us. It was a crit- 
ical time, changed in a moment however, when the 
report of the rifle rang out, and the cowardly crowd 
rushed to the stern of their own boat, frightened by 
that one evidence of our ability to resist their attack. 



24 YACHOW AND BURMA 

The shot had struck the water beside the boat, the in- 
tention being only to frighten them off, not to harm in 
any case, and the ruse was entirely successful. The 
other boat stopped dead, shipped its oars, and finally 
drifted to shore, while the attacking force made for the 
shore, threatening dire vengeance upon our boatman 
because he had failed to aid them as they wished. 
Placing a guard in the stern of the boat the rest of us 
took a hand at the oars, suppressing the signs of in- 
cipient mutiny among the crew, and soon rounded a 
turn in the river and so made the best possible time 
from Li Chuang. 

Among the truly thankful congregations of that sum- 
mer Sunday, place the little crowd of fugitives on that 
crazy Chinese boat, when toward evening the wind 
dropped and we had safely passed the towns of Lan- 
chi and Kiang-ngan, having met with no further moles- 
tation. The aids to worship were conspicuously absent, 
but the incentives were never stronger. 

We passed Luchow next morning. It had been 
deserted by the mission force, the home sealed up by 
the magistrate, the sign and name removed from the 
frontdoor, and the erstwhile "Gospel Hall" treated 
as the house and home of convicted criminals. To 
such strange ends is Chinese official power diverted. 
Early in the morning of the 12 th we overtook the boats 
containing our Sui fu contingent together with Mr. 
Beaman, and so our forces were again united. All 
were well, though suffering somewhat from both heat 
and the continued strain, but none had suffered harm 
save Mr. Beaman, of whose serious adventure we now 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 2$ 

learned. It appears that he had stayed behind at Li 
Chuang to await our coming, hoping to be of assistance 
to us if, as they expected, we were on the road down the 
river. While escaping on his boat he was aroused at 
midnight by a party of armed robbers, a part evidently 
of the same gang that attacked us, who came bent on 
mischief. Taking in the situation at a glance, as the 
robbers were coming on the front of the boat, Beaman 
slipped under the mats, over the side, into the water 
and hid beneath the boat as long as he could hold his 
breath, the men meanwhile searching for him, pushing 
the spears down into the water to find him if possible. 
Coming to the surface the men quickly caught him, 
and some called out to beat him, but this the leader 
would not allow; so contenting themselves with steal- 
ing his silver, clothes, etc., they ordered him to go 
across the river with his boat and wait till morning. 
Next day he left without delay and joined the Sui fu 
party farther down, thankful, as we all were too, that no 
further harm had been sustained, though the nervous 
shock in such a case is the most serious side of it. 

Arriving at Chung King we found the city in a very 
apprehensive state, the British consul being peremptory 
in his orders to British subjects, and strong in his advice 
to American citizens, especially to women and children, 
not to enter the city but to continue the journey to the 
coast with the least possible delay. On consultation 
together this seemed to be the wisest as in some ways 
it was the only course open to the majority of our party. 
Such a going forth we had not expected. " Spoiled of 
the Egyptians ' ' the little host went away, though with 



26 YACHOW AND BURMA 

longings unexpressed for the work, the homes, and the 
few native Christians left behind. In all some forty-six 
adults and nineteen children went from Sze-Chuen, as 
the result of the disorders that originated on that May 
evening at Chentu. 

And the future is not certain. Back of the question 
of indemnity for the Society and personal losses, lies 
the more important principle of our status in this in- 
terior country. The time has come for definition and 
faithful dealing with China. She must be held more 
rigidly to her word, and no excuses accepted for the 
violation of her trust. Too long other nations have 
been content to live on suffrance here, while granting 
to China many privileges she denies to them. It will 
remain a blot on the fame of so-called Christian nations 
— Russia, France, Germany — that they shackled the 
hands of Japan and for selfish ends bolstered up China 
in her attitude of sullen isolation. China should be 
thrown open to unrestricted foreign intercourse, instead 
of the grandmotherly pocket concession system now in 
vogue. It is a disgrace that after nearly a century of 
dealings with Western nations China is practically a 
sealed land in many important respects. Freedom of 
navigation and commerce with the defined right of res- 
idence to every properly identified individual would 
make a new order of things in China. 

Missionaries are not clamoring for war or gunboats. 
They ask only that the rights of Americans be recog- 
nized, defined, respected ; beyond that they will occupy 
their own sphere for their own mission as God shall 
give them strength and blessing. 



YACHOW THE ESCAPE 2J 

And does some one in the shadow of a half-defined 
fear ask, " Is all lost then? The work, the prayers, 
the hopes, the expressed convictions, the giving, and the 
plans for coming years — are these all gone ? ' ' It needs 
but a moment's consideration to find the answer in the 
question itself. The work already done cannot be lost, 




A CHINESE SCHOOL. 



nor prayers, nor hopes, nor consecration of the means 
to God. These are already garnered beyond the 
danger of being lost. And the work yet undone, the 
plans yet unfulfilled, the hopes of widening blessing, 
these all remain, one common heritage and joy. Ask 
of Bunker Hill and the four hundred slain ; ask of 
Bull Run and the slaughtered thousands of those fate- 



28 YACHOW AND BURMA 

ful days, Is all lost ? America is the answer. Ask for 
the work in Burma. But just begun, the initial dif- 
ficulty scarcely conquered, the fettering language hardly 
acquired, reinforcements but newly arrived, and only 
scope for forward work — thus Adoniram Judson looked 
upon the slow results of years in the delta of Lower 
Burma and hope took a deeper hold. Yet scarce had 
the larger inspiration been born, than government hos- 
tility, official interference, and the deadly breath of 
cholera assailed the little band, and in the place of 
numbers and song, we see one frail woman holding the 
ground alone, her tenure ever being threatened. Yet 
that all was not lost is attested by a far-reaching chorus 
of praise to-day. 

The rainbow of promise hangs above the tears of dis- 
appointment and sorrow to-day and forms a call to grip 
afresh the strength of God's unfailing might. Stone 
Stephen, recruit Saul \ the loss is matched by the gain 
in time's transforming hand. 

God is waiting to win over China. We can't grow 
weary till he is tired — therefore patience ! 

That we may so forecast the years 
To find in loss a gain to match 
And stretch a hand through time to catch 

The far-off interest of tears ; 

It is our attitude now in the place of servants to wait 
for God. 



PART II 



BURMA-THE RETURN 



BURMA— THE RETURN 

' I 'HE land of Burma ! There is a charm in the very 
*• name, the land of pagodas and peacocks, the land 
of Judson, of Boardman, of Koh-tha-byu, of the death- 
less experiences of Ava and Oung-pen-la and two genera- 
tions of richly successful Christian work. 

It lay before us in the afternoon light, as the steamer 
" Lindula " made her way into the mouth of the river, 
past Elephant Point and up to her mooring beside the 
long wharf that forms the water front of the city of 
Rangoon. 

There was a buzz of excited interest, pointed with 
many exclamations, as two Chinese missionaries made 
their modest way over the gang-plank toward shore. 
What a strange medley of faces — the brown of the Bur- 
man mingling with the darker hue of the Indian, and a 
dash of Chinese yellow thrown in to offset the pale 
faces of the Anglo-Saxons ! And stranger yet was the 
medley of tongues, among which our Chinese was useless ! 

A gharry quickly conveyed us to the Baptist Mission 
Press, to receive a hearty greeting from Mr. Phinney, 
the superintendent. An illustration it was of all the 
welcomes afterward given us in all the places visited in 
Burma. 

The mission assembled in prayer meeting that evening 
was a rich experience for us. There was D. L. Dray- 
ton, a veteran of eighty-seven years ("eighty-seven 

31 



32 



YACHOW AND BURMA 




years young" as some 
one remarked), so well 
preserved, so sunny and 
hopeful, confident in 
faith as he still pursues 
the work begun nearly 
sixty years ago. A. T. 
Rose was there, w T hose 
life has been given to 
Burman work, and J. N. 
Cushing, the translator 
of the Shan Bible and 
present principal of the 
Rangoon College, men 
whose lives are history 
and their companion- 
ship a blessing. And 
others too were there, 
younger but honored 
for their work and faith, 
a goodly assembly of fel- 
low-workers, larger than 
we had expected to see, 
yet needing reinforce- 
ment if the work is to be 
adequately carried on. 

Rangoon is a com- 
posite Oriental city 
under the pressure of 
Occidental civilization, 
and a first-rate center 



BURMA THE RETURN 33 

for mission work. Missions to Burmans, Karens, Telu- 
gus, Tamils, and English, are being cared for by the 
Missionary Union, in addition to the institutions for 
higher education, the theological seminary, and the im- 
portant publishing house, a trio of far-reaching enter- 
prises. 

By the kind invitation of Dr. Cushing we met a 
crowded meeting of students and other Christians at the 
college a few nights after our arrival, who assembled to 
hear something of China and the recent doings there. 
A more enthusiastic and responsive audience no speaker 
ever had, and when later Mr. Gilmore brought report 
of the subsequent action of the College Church in 
donating its funds to the Lord's work in Western China, 
our hearts were full. ' ' How much can we give ? ' ' was 
asked, and thus, the answer came, ' ' Give all we have in 
the treasury, ' ' and we were richer by so much plus the 
stimulus to faith and humble joy imparted by the terms 
of the gift. No offering ever made a deeper impression 
upon us than that spontaneous, unlooked-for donation 
of our Burman brothers in church meeting assembled — 
a model offering indeed. 

Many doors were opened to us in Rangoon and many 
sweet tokens afforded us of the divine blessing. The 
Lanmador Burman Church had just dismissed its morn- 
ing service the first Sunday in December, and was pre- 
paring for the session of the Sunday-school, when a 
welcome cry announced the coming of the Chinese 
teachers. Good souls, how glad and eager they were ! 
And they imparted much of their own spirit to us as we 
looked into their faces and briefly saluted them in the 

c 



34 YACHOW AND BURMA 

name of their Lord and ours, and then grasped hands — 
eye speaking to eye when no common tongue speech 
was known to us. And that night their offering was 
brought to us, to be supplemented later on by a sum 
almost as large again — an ' ' abounding in liberality ' ' 
that caused us much joy and encouragement. 

From this gathering in the upper room we hurried to 
the Baptist church, where was a gathering of warm- 
hearted Christians from the districts around Madras, 
under the care of Mr. Armstrong. There had been a 
reconciliation between some dissentient members of the 
church and this was "making-up M day, the feud being 
healed. Auspicious day for such a message as we were 
there to bring ! 

' ' Speak slow, sir, ' ' said the aged pastor as we stood 
side by side; " speak slow, because I don't understand 
English much." So we began our mental service to 
the appreciative, patient gathering before us \ but only 
for a little while, when some unusually long, hard sen- 
tence in the strange, difficult English tongue brought 
the pastor to a full stop and we sought the service of a 
younger man from the audience to take his place. 

Then the handshaking, the indispensable accessory to 
every meeting, and then the — no, not the collection, 
but a committee to obtain free-will offerings for the 
Chinese work — a committee on soul expansion in its 
most tangible form. A new meaning was being acted 
into the word and thought of ' ' fellowship, ' ' and to us 
"brotherhood" was being amplified and emphasized. 
This singularly blessed day closed with a couple of meet- 
ings in English, which gave us the freedom of our 



BURMA THE RETURN 



35 



mother tongue and contact with the sons of mothers far 
across the sea. 

It was Christmas morning and Christmas wishes were 
being passed. With them came a tiny square envelope, 
prettily ornamented by a love -guided pen, addressed 
" To the mission- 
aries from West 
China, " and with 
it a roll of rupees 
and some much 
wished for por- 
traits. But why 
rupees? Inside 
that envelope, 
within a carefully 
designed border 
of daisies, you 
may read, "Please 
accept 'in His 
name/ the free- 
will offerings of 
your brethren in 
Christ. " "In 
Christ," and 
therefore the 
"feeling togeth- pagoda. 

er" that so truly expresses itself as coming from 
brethren. 

The pride of Rangoon, from a Burman's view point, 
is in the delicate and much-worshiped Shweydagon 
pagoda, whose gilded spire is everywhere visible in a 




36 YACHOW AND BURMA 

Rangoon landscape. But beneath the slowly changing 
form of external Buddhism a new force is being intro- 
duced and beginning to work, that shall finally supplant 
this idle, helpless system with the realities of faith and 
love made common to men in Christ. 

From the Irawadi to the Salwen, a day's ride on the 
steamer, is a transition in a large sense. 

Moulmein is the antithesis of Rangoon. Quiet in 
habit, classic in setting, the difference is one of disposi- 
tion and circumstance. A noisy, jubilant, bustling youth 
is Rangoon — a sedate, complacent, attractive spinster is 
Moulmein. The environment of mission work here is 
of the most desirable order, and the corps of workers is 
in happy congruity with the work and setting. 

To meet and know the parents of Ah Sow and Ah 
Syoo was a privilege highly prized, and we look upon 
that large, active Christian home as a new annex to our 
heritage of friendships. Chinese in origin, Burmese in 
development, these have grown into a sphere of faith 
and work beside which a crown or a mitre is but a bauble. 

Hanna, Sara, and Tien Sie, children of Ah Syoo, the 
head master of the Moulmein Boys' School, came to 
greet us the evening of our arrival, and quickly broke 
through the barrier of strangeness and made themselves 
at home with us. ' ' Sing to us, Hanna, ' ' was a request 
quickly obeyed, as the three little ones ranged them- 
selves in line, their black eyes sparkling with delight, to 
sing in Burmese, Karen, and English, * ' Jesus loves me, 
this I know," to be followed by the same strain in 
Chinese, in our rough men's voices, less suited to the 
simple harmony and words perhaps, though no less ap- 



BURMA THE RETURN 37 

preciative of the confident, comforting truth of Jesus' 
personal, protecting love. 

Boys and girls, men and women, Burmese, Karen, 
and Anglo-Saxon, vied with each other in showing kind- 
ness to the ' l China missionaries ' ' for his sake whose 
Spirit makes our unity more than an empty name. 
Money they gave who could ; some whose ability in this 
direction was too limited to satisfy their desire brought 
handkerchiefs and picture cards for work in China. 

A feeling of gladness for their love, of honest pride 
in their work, of sadness at the parting — a feeling com- 
pounded of many emotions, and one to be often re- 
peated in the succeeding days, had entire possession of 
us, as the faces on the wharf faded into indistinctness, 
with the growing speed of the steamer down the Sal- 
wen. 

Away off there on the left, as we reached the point 
where the river mingles with the sea, lay Amherst, the 
resting-place of Ann H. Judson, the heroine of our 
earlier years, the sainted mother and tireless worker, 
now better appreciated as growing years reveal the 
fuller meaning of the missionary's toil. Peace seemed 
to rest upon that charming spot, peace and hope 
wrapped around by the morning sun. 

"Can you go at night, captain?" was asked, when 
one evening we found ourselves on the steamer headed 
for Bassein, in narrow and sinuous creeks, bordered by 
dense jungle, with here and there an opening to the 
paddy fields beyond. Night navigation to our lands- 
men eyes seemed a certain way to disaster ; but later 



38 YACHOW AND BURMA 

when the electric search light was turned on, waking 
the slumbering birds and starting them upon a reckless, 
unheeding flight, or attracting armies of winged insects 
which fell upon the iron awning with a rattle like hail, 
we found ourselves in a dual world, the old world of 
Burma streaked across with lines of a new world' s light. 

Our happy experiences at Bassein need a book to 
state them in detail. Renewed contact with men whom 
we had known in America, the touch with the Karen 
work in its most complete development, the eager in- 
terest of the Christian assemblies, the promise in the 
schools, in the saw-mill, in the growing confidence of 
the churches, all this and much more can only be in- 
dicated in the roughest outline. 

The day after our arrival (Saturday) we spent in the 
jungle. A Karen home received us. The venerable 
owner gave us a large welcome, and as recent ex- 
periences were related, and features of the "wild 
tribes ' ' on the Chinese hills delineated, the old man 
drew closer yet to the interpreter, his eyes aglow and 
lips held in suspense apart, as he recognized point after 
point in the family likeness, and affirmed with emphatic 
nods, "Yes, they are our people"; and then like old 
Simeon he wanted to see with his ' ' own eyes ' ' the 
members of his ancient family. Strangers in Burma, 
their native hearth is in another realm, even as the 
origin of Americans must be sought across the sea, and 
it was impossible not to sympathize with the Karen in 
his eager recognition of the old home, and his desire to 
reconquer it in the force of divine love and bind it 
with faith's golden chains about the throne of God. 



BURMA THE RETURN 39 

And it may be that such a consummation is soon to be 
achieved. The Sunday in Bassein was a full day in 
every sense, from our hearts outward. Burman service 
at 7 a. m. with Mr. and Mrs. Tribolet (he interpreting), 
then meeting with Pwo-Karens, our dear friend Cronk- 
hite as interpreter, and later the Sgau-Karen gathering 
with Mr. Nichols as mouthpiece to a splendid assembly 
of Christian culture and intelligence. One side gallery 
was occupied by the local Chinese, attracted by our blue 
gown and pigtails — " allee samee Chmaman. " But 
alas ! their knowledge of English did not serve to 
convey religious intelligence and they left early ; but 
the Karens untiringly listened, till across the bridge of 
speech we found the common ground of brotherhood 
and hope. It was a good day, such a day as a sower 
seeks in spring. 

' ' You will find missionaries here and money for their 
support when you need them for work on those Chinese 
hills, ' ' Nichols said, when together we had talked with 
a group of the elders on the veranda of the mission 
house the following day, a prediction easy of belief as 
he handed in a little roll of coin from ' ' two Karen 
women, ' ' an offering augmented later on by a hand- 
some donation, the fruit of Karen love and solicitude 
for the welfare of the hill tribes across the frontier of 
Upper Burma. 

The stars were out in marshaled order in the sky as we 
left Bassein and its beloved circle for Henzada, getting 
just a peep at Maubin by the way. Two days' jungle 
trip revealed to us some of the special features of Karen 
work. In company with Mr. Price we went from vil- 



40 YACHOW AND BURMA 

lage to village and met with the Christians at three sep- 
arate points, morning, afternoon, and evening. The 
Karens have reared for themselves convenient, econom- 
ical chapels, resembling nothing so much as overgrown 
thatched dovecotes set up on posts, which serve as 
tabernacles of assembly for the church and school 
buildings for the village children, and become the most 
potent force in these little communities. 

The day following was Sunday ; its gathering began 
at the riverside, where a strong athletic fellow from the 
school was baptized in the presence of a crowd of 
students and townspeople, a scene in striking contrast 
to the performance at the adjacent Buddhist shrine, 
where offerings of flowers, lights, and prayers are made 
before the image that never nods or goes astray, waking 
never from the slumber that holds the earthy form in 
helpless bondage. 

In the afternoon a Burman gentleman translated our 
English words into his vigorous vernacular to an ap- 
preciative audience at the chapel where Mrs. Crawley 
and her associates carry on a work for the conservative, 
picturesque Burmese. The tints of the shapely turbans 
lay in careless contrast to the deep brown faces of the 
wearers, who so far forgot the supposed sacredness of 
the place as to encourage the speaker with a kindly 
smile and whispered comment — a style one has leisure 
to enjoy when speaking through an interpreter. 

Early the following morning there was another gather- 
ing by the riverside, when the Karen schools, sweet 
girl voices in happy concert with the stronger tones of 
the bigger lads, joined to sing us away, earning for 



BURMA THE RETURN 



41 



themselves the approval of the steamer folks in the 
remark, "By Jove, they can sing well, can't they?" 
A little packet lay on the cabin table containing pic- 
tures and ' ' other financial accessories ' ' from ' ' the 
girls' school, ' ' a field in which an earnest, consecrated 
woman serves her Master among Karen girls, who in 
later years will be colleagues to workers yet to come. 




BURMESE FAMILY — FOUR GENERATIONS. 

It was hard to say good-bye to Rangoon when 
finally the time came to leave for the journey north, 
toward the home in China. So kindly had been our 
welcome, so ideal our relations with all our fellow- 
workers there, it was in a marked manner good to be 
there, and correspondingly difficult to get away. Mr. 
Phinney, our host and tireless helper, came to see us 



42 YACHOW AND BURMA 

off and give his final fatherly counsel to the two he had 
sheltered for upward of a month in his home. A little 
gathering at " The Press" that morning cannot be 
passed in silence. A row of six foremen of differing 
nationalities stood before us to receive our word of 
thanks and farewell. And why? Well, there is, in the 
account furnished us by the Mission Treasurer, an item 
that reads ' ' From Baptist Mission Press Employees . . . 
forty-four rupees, four annas"; the meaning thereof is, 
that these men, be they Christians or Mohammedans 
or Buddhists or whatever else, had put this sum to the 
account of ' ' the Chinese missionaries ' ' for their use 
and work, hence the thanks — thanks not only to these, 
but over and beyond them, to him, the Lord of us all. 

The first stopping place on the way north was Pegu, 
where we were to stay one night only, but speedily 
changed the plan as we drove home with Miss Payne, 
the efficient administrator of the mission work at this 
point. A passing glance at the Pegu Reading Room, 
revealed one of the links by which the missionary has 
attached the community to herself. A bright cheery 
room, ' ' free to all, ' ' well stocked with current literature 
and standard works of interest and profit, no irritating 
rules, and a convenient situation — this is the reading 
room, a common focus for all English-speaking res- 
idents in the^town, and evidence of the happy relations 
existing between the missionary and the Europeans 
under circumstances that sometimes provoke mutual 
criticism and hostility rather than the helpfulness exerted 
in the present case. 

The glimpse of the work afforded to us on Sunday 



BURMA THE RETURN 43 

showed the school gathering before the service in the 
forenoon, and later the church, to which we spoke, "re- 
hearsing what God had done for us." Moung Thra 
din, a capable official under the English government, 
was interpreter, and showed his interest in old China, 
as did the rest of the Christians, in the help they con- 
tributed for the work of the gospel out there. Nothing 
has more vividly and permanently impressed us than 
the spontaneity and genuineness of the sympathy with 
the work of Christian missions to be found among the 
churches in Burma, and Pegu was in line with the rest. 

At sunset, ' ' in the gloaming, ' ' we had a service with 
the English-speaking community, one of many held 
since we came to the country, in which the freer utter- 
ance in our mother tongue, coupled with the larger 
common ground between speakers and hearers, has 
given us a joy and opportunity unknown to workers in 
Sze-Chuen. 

The work at Pegu is in a promising condition, and 
we take it that the life of one capable, earnest woman, 
such as we found there, is more than an answer to the 
bandying criticism of the outsider, to whom missionary 
work and all that it represents is a matter for no more 
serious consideration than is afforded in a poor pun, an 
after-dinner joke, or a sarcastic allusion in alleged ac- 
counts of personal travels. 

To get to Shwegyin involved a run by rail to a way- 
side station at which we found an escort and bullock 
cart awaiting us for the continuance of the journey. 
The road was dusty, the sun was hot, the bullocks in- 
clined to self-assertion, and the cart a construction 






44 YACHOW AND BURMA 

without springs, and there were four and a half miles 
of first experience of this kind of conveyance for us. 
Whatever energy may have been wanting on the part 
of the animals beneath the yoke, was more than com- 
pensated for in the vigor and versatility of the driver, 
who now scolded, now wheedled, and anon tickled the 
flanks of the ' ' mild-eyed oxen ' ' with a rattan, or re- 
minded them of their duty by a prod with the spike at 
the end of his goad. 

Having finished the cart ride we took a dose of 
native boat, crowded in with a regiment of native pas- 
sengers beneath a mat, where the smaller the man the 
more comfortable the position was the rule, and so we 
reached the steam launch which lay with its saucy nose 
rubbing against the sandy bank awaiting her freight 
for Shwegyin. The lights of the town were twinkling 
along the streets as we made our way to the mission 
compound, to be warmly welcomed by our friend Mrs. 
Harris, last seen in far-away Omaha. 

After serious interruption, the work is now flourishing 
under the care of Mr. Harris, who follows here the work 
of his father begun in years long past. The morning 
after our arrival we were introduced to the preacher's 
wife in words which brought back the faces of the Ran- 
goon College students. "This is Homer's mother," 
was the form of introduction, and right well did we come 
to know her in the succeeding days. ' ' Homer said I 
was to give it to you for the Lord's work," was her 
apology for an offering she brought, to which Homer's 
younger brother had added a share, and other shares 
were taken, some by the school teachers, some especially 



BURMA THE RETURN 



45 



for Chinese women, all given spontaneously and love- 
prompted, and much of it having been made up before- 
hand. Thus did they enhance the value of their gifts. 

And Homer ? 
He is a student 
under Dr. Crush- 
ing at Rangoon, 
the best all-round 
athlete in the col- 
lege, a solid Chris- 
tian fellow, to be 
a worker on the 
Karen hills by- 
and-by, we hope 
— such is the Ka- 
ren Homer. 

At Shwegyin 
are three Chinese 
Christians. What 
interest sparkled 
in their eyes as 
they came to 
speak to the teach- 
ers who "lookee 
just same belong 
us," and were no 
less glad than 
themselves to speak again with Chinese where both 
were on stranger soil, Not of us, but Catholics, yet 
glad to hear and eager to get Gospels to read in their 
own tongue. "May the Heavenly Lord protect you,' 




A CHRISTIAN STUDENT. 



46 YACHOW AND BURMA 

teachers, ' ' was their expressed wish for us and ours for 
them as they went away. 

There is a large field in Burma for Chinese work, 
which should be promptly undertaken if we are in fu- 
ture years to have a hold upon the formative forces in 
the coming Burman ; and no others are so well able to 
handle this work as we in our widely spread, efficient 
organization at so many important points throughout 
the land. Natives of India and China are a growing 
force in Burma and must increase largely in the near 
future, to add a new problem to the questions of this 
field unless now solved by adequate measures for their 
evangelization. 

Toungoo welcomed us with a large force of Baptist 
missionaries. In some respects our experience here 
was unique. In company with Dr. Bunker, Miss An- 
derson, and others, we visited a Karen Association out 
upon the mountains. A long but enjoyable ride by 
narrow paths gave us a taste of jungle travel and a sight 
of jungle villages in a district relatively new to mission 
work. Delighting in solitude, the Karens have placed 
their villages in least accessible spots, while their habit 
of removing their dwellings from place to place to suit 
the exigencies of their method of cultivation is a factor 
in obstructing the easy communication essential to rapid 
social development. The second day out from Toun- 
goo we noticed boards bearing a sentence in the attract- 
ive letters adopted by the Karens, and soon came 
upon one bearing in large English lettering — Welcome 
— our whole experience tending to prove that for us 
indeed we had well come. A modern " feast of Taber- 



BURMA THE RETURN 47 

nacles ' ' was that Association, with some added features, 
noticeably the brass band of Karen schoolboys. The 
weather is a ' ' certain quantity ' ' here during the dry 
season, hence protection was only needed against the 
sun by day and dew by night ; no apprehension needed 
to be felt as to rain. 

A spacious, low, grass-covered booth was erected for 
the meetings, fenced about with plaited bamboo, and 
around it were little shelters, also of bamboo and grass, 
for the accommodation of guests, the largest being re- 
served for the foreign teachers, of whom there was quite 
a contingent : Messrs. Bunker, Cochrane, Seagraves, 
Heptonstall, and ' ' the Chinamen, ' ' with the Misses 
Anderson, Thompson, and Pettey, and the faithful 
helpers and teachers among the Karens themselves, 
a capable body of men reared and trained upon the 
field. A father among his children, an elder among his 
people, is the missionary in such a gathering, a position 
that brings responsibility and care, with much of joy 
and patient habit. 

The consciousness of latent power, the first stirrings 
of approaching manhood, are now swaying the Karens 
here, for which much wisdom and patience will be 
needed in order to give right direction to the awaken- 
ing power. In the process of development men gener- 
ally have strength first and wisdom after, the one the 
dower of youth, the other the product of the years; 
but the latter comes at length. 

The diversity of type among these mountain peoples 
is very marked, very marked also their uniformity in 
some phases, notably in the lack of soap. Various 



48 YACHOW AND BURMA 

methods of personal adornment are resorted to, with 
an approximation to success on the part of the women, 
who seem to uphold the claim made for the sex in 
matters of this kind, and certainly evince more ap- 
preciation of the fitness of things than do the men, 
who, after foolishly piercing their ears, are content to 
insert into the expanded hole a little roll of cloth, 
sometimes more than an inch in diameter ; but the 
women wear an ornament of silver that has worth at 
least and some charm. 

A group of young men was pointed out as teachers 
from the Brec country. Worthy of notice are these 
sturdy fellows, who leave the comparative ease of the 
Christian villages and live away among the wilder tribes 
to the east, enduring hardness and doing the work of 
evangelists and teachers, a splendid tribute to the im- 
pelling power the gospel has brought into their lives. 
The position they occupy brought us into near sympa- 
thy with them, so in the missionary meeting we were 
able to greet them in gladness on three grounds : 
1 ' First, because you are Christians ; second, because 
you are Baptists; third, because you are missionary, ' ' 
their response finding outlet in the giving of what they 
could to the mission work in China. There is a great 
field upon these hills to be worked yet, a field that 
expands with closer knowledge; and among the Karens 
throughout Burma a race of missionaries is being devel- 
oped for these outlying fields, where the few white 
teachers cannot go. On all the different Karen fields, 
Bassein, Henzada, and elsewhere, our growing acquaint- 
ance with the people and observation of their life f .rid 



_ 



BURMA THE RETURN 49 

habits and devotion only served to emphasize this con- 
viction. The political future of the Karens may be 
doubtful, their ultimate absorption into surrounding 
peoples a possibility ; so much may be granted and yet 
leave the real worth of the Karen as a Christian unim- 
paired — his capacity for aggressive mission work and 
devotion to such a life. Here we think is the true 
standard of value for the Karens. 

A happy morning was spent on Dr. Cross' compound, 
where, in his eighty-first year, he still retains oversight 
of the work. After a service in the chapel, the older 
Christians gathered in a kind of informal reception at 
the doctor's house, where we sat around together on 
the matting. Every Karen was a living interrogation 
point, and the "poor missionaries" the gladdest men 
in the crowd. All were eager to know of those ' ' wild 
men ' ' in Western China, so they dressed themselves in 
their national garb and sang sweet little bits of their 
home songs, always inquiring with zest, "Is that like 
the Karens in China ? ' ' And a Christian woman, 
thinking of her kin beyond the frontier, was moved 
to make a really handsome donation, and the spirit 
spread and the sum grew to large proportions. When 
Miss Simons told us of it in the evening prayer meet- 
ing, our surprise and rejoicing were about equal at this 
new proof of love's sisterhood to action. 

On the Sunday morning, under Mr. Cochrane' s leader- 
ship in the Burman chapel, a united service was held of 
a character somewhat unique, uniting in one rather 
noisy service the Burmans, Indians, and Chinese. The 
last attracted by the novelty in the speakers were 

D 



50 YACHOW AND BURMA 

especially demonstrative. Men from different places 
along the Chinese coast, where dialects differ, helped 
one another to understanding, as here and there the 
meaning of the speaker dawned upon a mind more 
acute than the rest. "Yes, that's doctrine/ ' they 
murmured in chorus, as something struck them pecu- 
liarly after their own ideas. We shall long remember 
that united service and the sweet singing of a Burmese 
Christian woman. God's blessing be on them all. A 
farewell gathering is a correct designation of the scene 
on the station platform when the train drew away. 

There is ample cause to be proud of the Baptist force 
in Toungoo, of the capable work that is being done by 
them, with a common good feeling and whole-hearted 
interest in the work of God in every place. In the 
community here, as at some other points, much interest 
was awakened and kindness shown, revealing the true 
attitude of those outside missionary circles yet in con- 
stant touch with missionary life, to the movements in 
progress around the homes where they live. There is 
a "lay missionary ' • family in Toungoo, whose culture 
of coffee and conduct of life are of great value in the 
display of Christian principles, whose hospitality to the 
Lord' s workers is as abounding as their sympathy is 
deep. Such have peculiar honor and reward from the 
Divine hand. 

"Something like a city" is the verdict on Mandalay. 
By this is meant that it is more like a Chinese city than 
any other yet seen. There is a wall and moat around 
the inner city, now known as ' ' the Fort, ' ' and a gen- 



BURMA THE RETURN 



51 



eral likeness to the style of place known to us in the 
Flowery Kingdom. 

The spire of the Judson Memorial Church is visible 
among the trees as one approaches the mission com- 
pound, the entrance to which is by a gate at the rear of 
the premises. The brick-built house and school are a 
trifle heavy in appearance from the outside, an impres- 




THE LYON MEMORIAL CHAPEL, BHAMO. 



sion apt to be deepened by an interior view. Mr. Mc- 
Guire is doing work that ought to be divided between 
two men. The development of the actual work and 
redemption of pressing opportunity in this great center 
need better equipment. 

Sagaing and the site of the Ava death prison occu- 
pied us on Saturday. This latter took us back to the 
earlier steps in Burman work, with which all readers of 



$2 YACHOW AND BURMA 

missionary records are familiar. The shackles and the 
lash, the fear and uncertainty, the triumph of Christian 
faith and fortitude, on this jungle-overgrown spot on 
which Judson and others suffered and endured — Ava, 
now a name with us — these are all factors in the coming 
of the kingdom of God among the Burmans. To-day 
we suffer and wait in the darkness; to-morrow we sit 
in the sunlight with hope radiant. 

At Sagaing is the answer of the Christian church to 
Ava and its prison, where she is working through the 
hands of her missionaries for the children of those who 
riveted the shackles of the earlier day. 

At Oung-pen-la the aged Burman preacher gave us 
his blessing on the spot where the captive missionary 
lay during those long uncertain months before the final 
release. See the contrast. At Ava the oppressor lay 
in ruins ; at Oung-pen-la the new faith is rearing a tem- 
ple in Burmese hearts for the indwelling of the Christ 
whom their fathers rejected. The process is slow at 
present ; a season of stone-quarrying before the build- 
ing goes up. 

On the journey north, where the route crosses the 
Irawadi, we saw and bade farewell to Mrs. Sutherland 
and her children, whose kind thought provided us with 
necessaries for the journey. These are the little 
touches that give color to life. 

From Sagaing a traveler occupied the same compart- 
ment in the train as ourselves and asked many inter- 
ested questions of us ; became, in fact, an organization 
for that purpose, e. g. : "Is your father a Christian ?" 
"Yes." "Where does he live?" " America.' ' 



BURMA THE RETURN 



53 



" How long has he lived there ? " "Was he always a 
Christian ? ' ' and so under the impression that we were 
of a different descent to himself. Asking where he was 
bound for, imagine our surprise to find that he was only 
traveling a little way up the line with us in order to sat- 
isfy his curiosity about us. Finding that he was a Chris- 
tian, we parted with the sympathy of kinship. 

The last stage is partly by rail and partly by steamer, 




KACHIN SCHOLARS. 



and as during the dry season the river is very low, one 
is never sure of reaching Bhamo till actual arrival has 
taken place. As it was we stuck on a couple of sand 
bars and were delayed thirty-six hours, a detention 
that earned for us the title of "Jonahs," with the 
additional comment that "parsons always bring bad 
luck." 

Mr. Roberts, of the Kachin mission, was on hand to 



54 YACHOW AND BURMA 

welcome and help us, and as we drove home together 
pointed out the mountains that lay between Burma and 
China, the home of the Kachins and field of the mis- 
sionary's work. A feeling of home stole over us that 
evening as we gazed upon familiar outlines bathed in 
the intense blue common to mountain scenery in West 
China. 

" Home mail," the first we had seen since last Sep- 
tember — it is now the end of January — and then ob- 
livion to " things present " for a little space. 

The Kachin mission, with Messrs. Roberts and Han- 
son and Miss Stark as workers, has entered upon a 
career of peace and development after the stress of trial 
and vicissitude of former years. 

The school work, together with the many phases of 
station and country work that is really the care of a 
people evolving from the jungle state, in which plunder 
is their profit and the traders' caravan their harvest, 
into Christian units with the difficulties incident to 
childhood, and later into communities fitting them- 
selves to the restraints of home and trade, — all this 
keeps the missionary's heart and hands full of thought 
and labor. He is the standard of their living. ' ' He 
gave some to be teachers/' not all, but some, and to 
them is the need and promise of divine grace. 

u We thank Thee for one of thy servants whom thou 
hast taken to thyself in the night while we slept, and 
pray that the son she has left may be strengthened to 
follow and serve thee," were the missionary's words 
in the morning prayer. ' ' Who is it ? " was our ques- 
tion when the prayer had ended. " An old woman at 



BURMA THE RETURN 



55 



Cha-yeng," and arrangements were already made for 
the funeral to take place that day, so we went to see 
and learn. 

A Kachin house is a bamboo cage on posts, divided 
into little apart- 
ments in keeping 
with the small 
forms of the own- 
ers. A Kachin 
village is a collec- 
tion of such cages 
placed with a due 
regard to disorder 
and distance. A 
notched tree 
slanted in posi- 
t i o n before the 
door serves as 
stairs for entrance 
and "welcome 
ever smiles" 
upon the visiting 
missionary. 

The people had 
already gathered 
for the funeral 
when we arrived and made our way to the house with 
the new presence there we call death. The coffin, a 
rough box as roughly covered with red muslin, stood 
just inside the door ; a group of elderly women was 
formed around a fire in one corner of the room (just 




KACHIN GIRLS. 



56 YACHOW AND BURMA 

why these bamboo houses don't all burn down is a con- 
stant wonder) ; while behind a bamboo partition the 
younger women were collected in a similar way ; we can 
just see them through the hole left to act as doorway. 

A couple of mats were laid on the ground outside, the 
coffin was carried and placed in the center, the neigh- 
bors gather around in the position known as squatting, 
and the missionary gives out the hymn, " There's a land 
that is fairer than day," and commences the service 
of comfort and hope. A fair land is the land lying 
before us, the brown of the stubble fields in the fore- 
ground shading off in the nearer distance into the long 
grass and waving bamboo, while beyond all are the 
mountains, with the blue spread across them with opal 
clouds lying on the sky's open face. 

They take the loose lid from the coffin and the poor 
withered face is shown on which the storm of years has 
left its scars ; the feet too are seen, begrimed with the 
dust of many roads, but all stilled and quiet now — and 
so the preacher tells a sweet story of a land fairer far 
than any known to us now, and of the welcome for tired 
ones who in faith may reach its rest. 

She was a Christian and didn't want to be buried 
among the heathen, so a place in the wild jungle was 
chosen, and there they laid her in a chamber that might 
well be called Peace ; the missionary bent his head in 
prayer while some hearts were wondering on the mys- 
tery of death and what the hope of resurrection from the 
dead really means to the Christian. So helping them 
in life, comforting them in death, the teacher's work 
touches both sides of his people's life. 



BURMA THE RETURN 57 

The village of Mankang lies upon the bank of a 
pretty winding river about twelve miles from Bhamo. 
Here is a chapel and orderly community of Christian 
people under the care of a Karen from the Bassein dis- 
trict, who is doing missionary work and is sent by his 
own people. Sunday, February 2nd, was communion 
day, with the monthly covenant meeting and reception 
of candidates. Four persons were presented for baptism, 
and examination was conducted early on the Lord' s Day 
morning by the missionary and elders of the church. 
The first man was quite ready at reply and passed satis- 
factorily, being received by a unanimous vote. The sec- 
ond applicants were a man and his wife, seeing they both 
came together and wished to be so received. The man 
had wanted to come some time ago but the wife threat- 
ened to leave him if he did so, but to-day they came to- 
gether. He apologized for slowness in answering ques- 
tions, ' ' It was not in his line, ' ' but the little woman had 
just that look that one sees in devotees and was much 
readier than he. The elders deliberated long and care- 
fully, examining the man's recent history, asking with 
whom he had been "planting paddy," or farming it we 
should say, that being considered a true test of the 
man's character — how does he act in business transac- 
tions? — so step by step they unraveled the past, con- 
sidered him all right and both were received, as was 
the remaining candidate, a widow supporting herself by 
farming. 

The afternoon was set for administration of the ordi- 
nance. Accordingly all the village was gathered at the 
riverside, where with singing and prayer and orderly 



58 YACHOW AND BURMA 

decency they were buried with Christ in baptism, and 
emerged from the symbolic grave to live, we trust, in 
humble, loving service of their Lord. 

Shiveringly they stood to receive the hand of wel- 
come and fellowship by the water before returning 
to their homes and the subsequent gathering around 
the table of the Lord to ' ' set forth his death till he 
come," and then we left the little band, joined as they 
are with us all who, in every place through all the 
earth, meet in the unity of the faith and obedience in 
like manner and testimony. 

The sun was setting behind the mountains and gloom 
was deepening in the forest as the missionary "allowed ' ' 
to his companions that ' ' we are on the wrong road, ' ' 
and we began to discuss the possibilities of one horse 
blanket as a covering for the three of us, when a friendly 
Shan put us on the right track and helped us back to 
Bhamo. As we reached the compound the lights in the 
chapel showed the work here going on as usual ; so all the 
forces possible are being employed for the reclamation 
of the Kachins from their present condition and salva- 
tion through the gospel of the grace of God. 

From Bhamo to Myitkyina (pronounced Mitcheena), 
the outpost of mission work in Upper Burma, is a de- 
lightful ride on the steamers of the Irawadi Flotilla 
Company. Here are stationed Mr. and Mrs. Geis, 
earnest and consecrated, their home the center from 
which the light is to radiate in widening circles into the 
little communities of Kachins situated among the beau- 
tiful hills that surround Myitkyina, and make it one of 
the prettiest and most healthful stations in the country. 



BURMA THE RETURN 



59 



Everything is new, the place itself being the creation 
of the English officials, from which they control a large 
district contiguous on its eastern face with the Chinese 
province of Yunnan. Here, as everywhere, Chinamen 
are a potent factor in the life of the new community, 
and numbers of them are passing continually on their 




way to and from the jade mines, which are situated at 
some distance to the west. 

The Kachins are yet somewhat shy and less free with 
the missionary than at Bhamo, where the work is of 
longer standing and better known. Indeed, it is only 
of recent date that all the -mountaineers have been 
subdued to English rule. One cannot fail to be struck 
with the genius and energy of the British in their work 



60 YACHOW AND BURMA 

of colonization. Firmly, yet considerately, they bring 
their force to bear upon the chaos of native rule, and 
speedily create an orderly, well-governed province, in 
which the law is administered without favor and the 
rights of all are secured. So are they casting up a 
highway for the Lord, and are instruments — even 
though unwittingly — in bringing about his kingdom. 
Order, justice, liberty, are the characteristics of British 
rule in the East. 

Of work among the Shans we could see but little. 
Bhamo does not offer a very large field for work among 
these people, though Dr. Griggs is using medicine and 
education- as means for reaching as many as may be. 
At Namkam, an outpost on the Chinese frontier, four 
days to the southeast of Bhamo, are Mr. and Mrs. 
W. W. Cochrane, in the same work. The position is a 
most advantageous one for contact with the Shan peo- 
ple, though the station is somewhat isolated for the 
missionaries. From Namkam the natural step is into 
China, and we are glad again to have our faces set to- 
ward the field in which, while we can, we must work. 
There does not seem to be a choice of location in our 
case, but just as long as there is opportunity and we 
are free, just so long will China be our field, our home. 

Looking back now upon the two months spent in 
Burma, there is one dominant feeling, one outstanding 
feature, and one transcendent wish for this great field. 
We feel deeply and increasingly thankful for the work 
and its attendant blessing. The little one has indeed 
become a thousand, and there is promise of greater in- 
crease in the days now coming. 



BURMA THE RETURN 



61 



The one feature of the field that is likely to most 
impress a soul sympathetic in the work, is in the wis- 
dom and sagacity shown in the planting and develop- 
ment of the different missions of the Missionary Union 
in Burma. True, there are other places, and important 
ones, yet to be occupied ; but with the men and money 
at their disposal, there has been a vast territory covered, 




BUDDHIST SCHOOL. 



an immense work undertaken, and many initial diffi- 
culties overcome. The era of development has been 
well entered upon in many places, the training of the 
Christians carried out, a system of education introduced, 
and most gratifying results are apparent. Our wish for 
Burma as we stand related to it is, that in the years now 
before us, the wisdom, consecration, and devotedness 
of the fathers may all descend upon the newer workers 
and a great season of conquest be upon all the field. 






62 YACHOW AND BURMA 

To the many of our dear colleagues in the ranks of 
the American Baptist Missionary Union whose fellow- 
ship we have enjoyed, whose hospitality we have shared, 
whose work has been an inspiration to us, and to those 
whom we have not seen, but who are more real and 
near because we have been in Burma, to them all is our 
love and esteem ; to each of them we say, "For the 
sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy 
good. ' ' 

To the supporters of the Missionary Union are our 
greetings and congratulations. You are partners in a 
noble and enduring work ; the years will increase the 
fruitage of your fellowship and ripen the result of your 
labor. ' ' Enlarge the place of your tent, ' ' and make 
a more ample field wherein to reap. As the sowing so 
the reaping. 

As we remember the Christians, Burmese, Karen, 
Indian, Kachin, all of them in the brotherhood of faith 
and work, whose hands we have shaken and whose 
offerings have so enlarged us, we ' ' thank God and take 
courage.' ' There are a thousand rupees, the gift of 
love from Burma to China — the fruit of your fellowship. 
In joy and hope we thank all who have so strengthened 
our hands and hearts. 

The years will bring us all closer and truer in our 
work and experience. While we have grace to remain 
faithful and zealous, time is our friend and the revealer 
of the full import of the work of the church in her 
missionary sphere. 

Glad for the past, confident for the future, we cross 
the frontier into old China, rejoicing that we have been 









BURMA THE RETURN 63 

given the privilege of a little missionary journey in the 
footsteps of the fathers. 

Watchman, tell us of the night, 
For the morning seems to dawn. 

Traveler ! darkness takes its flight ; 
Doubt and terror are withdrawn. 



THE END 



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